topic Federal refund has not arrived and it has been days ago since return was accepted, should I call the IRS? The only odd thing was I used prior year earned income from 2019 in After you file

Federal refund has not arrived and it has been days ago since return was accepted, should I call the IRS? The only odd thing was I used prior year earned income from 2019

stephen-doherty — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:58:01 GMT

Re: Federal refund has not arrived and it has been days ago since return was accepted, should I call the IRS? The only odd thing was I used prior year earned income from 2019

bluedeb — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:27:24 GMT

The IRS will not issue any refunds on returns that claim Earned Income Credit. They will start to issue refunds in mid to late February for returns with the Earned Income Credit.

Re: Federal refund has not arrived and it has been days ago since return was accepted, should I c...

JamesG1 — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:41:31 GMT

You may not see your refund before March 1.

By law, the IRS must hold tax refunds that include Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit. See this IRS FAQ.

Why We Hold Your Refund

We can’t issue EITC or ACTC refunds before mid-February. This includes your entire refund, not just the part that’s related to the credit you claimed on your tax return.

If you claim the EITC or ACTC, we may need more information from you about your return. If we do, we will send you a letter.

@stephen-doherty